User blog:Pholidota/Happy 8th Anniversary, Wild Kratts! + Best Episode of Each Year
On January 3, 2011, the first episode of Wild Kratts (Mom of a Croc) premiered. That makes today-January 3, 2019-the 8th anniversary of our favorite creature-adventure TV show! To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to make a list of my favorite Wild Kratts episodes. But, to make this list extra-special for the occasion, as well as to look back through the entire history of Wild Kratts, I decided to do something a little non-traditional. I will be listing what I think are the best Wild Kratts episodes-one from each year that the series has been running! Now remember, this list is my opinion, and I know that others will have different opinions on what the best Wild Kratts episodes are. So if you want to give your opinion on the best episodes-or even explain why you think your favorites are better than my favorites-feel free to comment! For your information, I will be rating the quality of each episode based on these criteria: *educational value *plot *humor *influence on future episodes Now, let's begin! 2011 Here we are at the very first year of Wild Kratts, featuring the Season 1 premiere! Season 1 is still my favorite season of Wild Kratts-I love the overall seriousness, the "cool" aura, and the sometimes-dark plots. Since many of my favorite Wild Kratts episodes are early in the show's run, it was a real challenge to pick out my favorite 2011 episode. But I eventually singled out one episode that has the perfect combination of educational value, plot, humor, and future influence. A big round of virtual applause for... Flight of the Draco! (Season 1, premiered January 6, 2011) Flight of the Draco is probably best remembered for being the debut of the villainous live-animal-fashion-designer Donita Donata. Although Donita is actually my current least-favorite Wild Kratts villain (due to her recent appearances), I thoroughly enjoy her Season 1 appearances-and they don't come any better than Flight of the Draco. Here, she is more than just a frivolous fashionista; she is a real threat, something that, in my opinion, is essential for a villain. Donita hoovers up thousands of flying lizards for a very large-scale fashion line-even worse, we later see that there are many who would gladly snap up Donita's living-lizard jewelry! The fact that we actually see Donita hosting a very successful fashion show (well, successful until the Attack of the Flying Lizard Mantrademark) really drives home that Donita is not to be trifled with, and actually has a legion of supporters. And I can't forget to mention how Donita rather creepily controls Martin via pose-beam! Flight of the Draco also gets points for featuring an obscure animal that most viewers wouldn't learn about without watching Wild Kratts. It's really cool how flying lizards have extendable "wings" in the form of modified ribs. That is one wild adaptation! And one Chris could really use right here. Alas, poor Christopher... When it comes to Flight of the Draco's humor, the most entertaining scenes involve Martin's new (forced) modeling career-seeing Martin, all decked out in some very flashy threads, strut across the runway in from of a huge crowd never gets old! And it's honestly satisfying to watch as the lizards are freed from suspended animation and proceed to cause a panic at the fashion show. It reminds me of the hours I spent playing the old Zoo Tycoon computer games, letting animals run loose and chase guests...good times...ANYWAY, I'm getting off topic! To sum things up, Flight of the Draco is everything I love about Season 1, wrapped up in 30 minutes of adventure and cool creatures! A solid early episode, indeed! 2011 honorable mentions: Mom of a Croc, Let the Rhinos Roll!, The Blue and the Gray 2012 Year 2 of Wild Kratts marked the end of Season 1 (sniff...I'm not sad, I'm not!) and the beginning of Season 2. More great Season 1 episodes premiered in 2012, along with some solid Season 2 episodes. My pick for best 2012 episode is admittedly based mostly on personal bias-in fact, it's the first Wild Kratts episode I ever watched! And it happens to be a very fitting pick to celebrate Wild Kratts' birthday, too... Quillber's Birthday Present! (Season 1, premiered October 25, 2012) Yep, first episode I watched, and the one that introduced me to Wild Kratts! It caught my attention with the superhero elements and Creature Power Suits-if it weren't for this episode, I wouldn't be typing this list! I'm actually feeling a tiny bit emotional-celebrating Wild Kratts' birthday with the episode that started it all for me, which just happens to be a birthday-themed episode! Quillber's Birthday Present taught me about the differences between Old World and New World porcupines, and about how quills are really just hairs that have been modified to be long, hard, and sharp. The plot is a little outlandish; Zach needs animals for new inventions and decides to use balloons in his plot to capture them. And just to be mean, he steals them from Aviva's party. Yeah, Zach's a jerk. But it is fun to watch Zach bumble across the savanna, trying to get things done without the Zachbots. Great episode that holds special significance to me! 2012 honorable mentions: A Huge Orange Problem, The Gecko Effect, Race for the Hippo Disc 2013 In Wild Kratts' third year, Season 2 continued with another batch of new episodes. Personally, I don't find these quite as good as the Season 1 episodes (or even some of the earlier Season 2 episodes); something about them just seems blander and more "boring". However, one of the 2013 episodes does stand out above the rest: Rainforest Stew! (Season 2, premiered April 3, 2013) Instead of spotlighting a single animal species, Rainforest Stew focuses on the unimaginably complex relationships between the species inhabiting a rainforest. I always find this sort of episode-the sort that focuses on an overarching biological theme instead of just one species-interesting, because these episodes give the viewer the big picture of ecosystems. And Rainforest Stew is a perfect example of this kind of episode. We see a variety of Central American rainforest animals, as well as the links between them. There are even ecosystems within the ecosystem, like in sloth fur. Rainforest Stew also stands out in the humor department, with Chris getting Sloth Power and slowing down in all respects-even talking slowly. It's like Flash (from Zootopia) before Flash! And also amusing is Gourmand's little ditty he sings while preparing his- Gourmand: RAINFOREST STEW! MADE WITH YOU AND YOU AND YOU! Thank you, Gourmand. Moving on. 2013 honorable mentions: To Touch a Hummingbird, Roadrunner, Attack of the Tree Eating Aliens, Gila Monster Under My House 2014 In the fourth year of Wild Kratts, Season 2 ended and Season 3 began. With a new season came even more episodes-but I'm technically not picking just one here. My personal highlight for 2014 happens to be the first Wild Kratts two-part special- Back in Creature Time! (Season 3, premiered July 7, 2014) Back in Creature Time breaks new ground for Wild Kratts by not only being the first true two-parter (not counting Lost at Sea, since that was just two unconnected episodes packaged as a special), but also the first episode to feature extinct animals! This opens up a whole new world of Creature Powers for the Wild Kratts, and it's exciting to see the Kratts meeting some creatures of the past. The special generally does a good job educating the audience about extinct animals; however, since our knowledge of extinct creatures is fragmentary and continually evolving, some of the info presented is now known to be inaccurate. The main issue is the thylacines (Tasmanian tigers) being portrayed as pursuit predators that target relatively large prey and hunt by endurance, like wolves. It's now known that the thylacine had rather weak jaws, and it was probably an ambush predator of small animals. However, most of Back in Creature Time's portrayals of extinct animals are quite good and educational. I particularly like how the popular perception of dodos as stupid is debunked. Since both of the special's featured species became extinct due to humans, it makes sense that Back in Creature Time portrays humans showing up in both Mauritius and Tasmania and setting events in motion which will eventually doom the dodo and thylacine. But there's a twist-here, the humans are ancestors of Gourmand and Donita, which is...kinda silly, but I guess they wanted to keep things comical even as extinction arrives. Honestly, the best thing about Back in Creature Time is the extinct animals, which sets it apart from all other episodes-for now, at least. Hopefully the Time Trampoline returns for Season 6! 2014 honorable mentions: Opossum in My Pocket, Crocogator Contest, The Amazing Creature Race 2015 In Wild Kratts' fifth year, Season 3 came to a close, and Season 4 began. Season 4 is, in my opinion, the beginning of a serious drop in the quality of Wild Kratts. That, coupled with the fact that 2015 saw only a handful of Season 4 episodes, is why my pick for best episode of 2015 is from Season 3. It's- Under Frozen Pond! (Season 3, premiered January 19, 2015) '' '' The best thing about this episode is the Villain Team-Up-the first time we truly get such a thing in Wild Kratts. Yes, Platypus Cafe and The Gecko Effect had all three pre-Season 4 villains, but in both of those episodes, one villain was clearly featured (Gourmand in Platypus Cafe, Zach in Gecko Effect) and the others were minor characters. Here, the villains actually meet up with the aim of working together to destroy their common enemies, the Wild Kratts.... But if everything went smoothly for the villains, this episode wouldn't be nearly as entertaining as it is. We get to see lots of funny scenes with the villains: Zach being dropped from his jet ("I didn't mean literallYYYYYYY!"), Gourmand driving his snowmobile into Zach's jet (much to Zach's dismay), and the bickering between Zach and Donita (fueled by Zach saying "I'm not a whiner" in the whiniest voice possible). This episode seeks to answer the question, "how do pond animals survive when the pond freezes?", an interesting query to be sure. And we get a look at how some animals cope with northern winters. Especially interesting are the ability of geese to stand on ice and frogs to absorb oxygen through their skin. All in all, an enjoyable episode to watch. 2015 honorable mentions: Fossa Palooza, Tenrec Treasure Hunt, Capture the Fishmobile 2016 In the sixth year of Wild Kratts, most of the Season 4 episodes aired. As I've said before, these were generally...subpar at best. However, one Season 4 episodes does stand out above the rest. It is one of the few Wild Kratts episodes to make a novel addition to the show...a new villain... Presenting... Spirit Bear! (Season 4, premiered April 29, 2016) The news that Wild Kratts would be getting a fourth villain caught me completely off guard after three seasons of just Zach, Donita, and Gourmand. I didn't think the show would ever be getting a new major character, and the idea of new villains was a pipe dream for a show that seemed uninterested in novelty. So when I heard about Paisley Paver, Spirit Bear quickly became my most-anticipated episode ever-I have never looked forward to an episode as much as I did Spirit Bear. Spirit Bear did not disappoint. Paisley proved a formidable opponent, and quite unlike the other villains. In many episodes, the Season 1 villain trio target and capture animals for convoluted, cartoonish reasons (lemur soap, anyone?). Paisley was different-her plot was not to cage up the bears for some ridiculous scheme, but to simply steamroll their island and entomb it under concrete. This is a much more down-to earth, realistic, and threatening plot-after all, this sort of thing happens all the time in the real world! It makes Paisley a different and more serious sort of villain for Wild Kratts, and I really appreciate that. Props to the Kratt brothers for this episode! 2016 honorable mentions: Pangolin Rescue, Golden Snub Nosed Monkey Man, Creatures of the Deep Sea 2017 In the seventh year of Wild Kratts, Season 4 ended and Season 5 began. And my pick for best 2017 episode happens to be the Season 5 premiere... Wild Kratts Alaska Hero's Journey! (Season 5, premiered July 24, 2017) (Yes, I know that it's technically two episodes, but it doesn't make sense to pick just one part of a two-parter; same goes for Back in Creature Time) Of the three seasons that premiered after I started watching Wild Kratts (Seasons 4, 5, and 6), Season 5 has the best premiere in my opinion. The only two-part special to serve as a season premiere, Hero's Journey delivers. We get a complex plot, plenty of Power Suit activations, and an underlying message that's...actually pretty inspiring! I like that this special doesn't spend too much time focusing on the big, charismatic fish predators (bears, wolves, and eagles) and instead spotlights the real stars of the salmon run-the salmon themselves! Hero's Journey really gives you an unexpected appreciation for these incredibly tenacious fish and their fighting spirit. Seeing this special gave me a lot of hope for Season 5; though I would ultimately be mostly disappointed by Season 5's quality, Hero's Journey still stands as an example of a great recent episode. Oh, and the Kratts keep teasing the Time Trampoline's return, only to leave us hanging. Come on, guys, I need a Dakotaraptor Power Suit! 2017 honorable mentions: Baby Tooth & Kid Musky, Temple of Tigers 2018 During the eighth year of Wild Kratts, the bulk of Season 5 aired. Regretfully, this was the year when I really started to disconnect from Wild Kratts, and stopped getting very hyped for new episodes. However, I did find one 2018 episode to be surprisingly good by Season 5 standards... Choose Your Swordfish! (Season 5, premiered June 15, 2018) I mostly like this episode because it does a good job of teaching differences between different types of billfish. When I saw the name "Choose Your Swordfish", I worried that the episode would just call all the billfish "swordfish", despite that name properly referring to only one species of billfish. Thankfully, Choose Your Swordfish got its facts right! Also, before watching this episode, I had no idea that swordfish and marlin had different types of swords, so kudos to the Kratts for including some little-known facts! 2018 honorable mentions: ''Unfortunately, nothing really qualifies. 2019 And we finally come to the ninth and current year of Wild Kratts! This year, Season 5 aired its last few episodes, and Season 6 began. I can't really form a concrete opinion of Season 6's quality just yet, since only 3 of its episodes have been aired. However, I am not particularly liking what I've seen so far. Season 6 looks to be suffering from the same problems that plagued Seasons 4 and 5: talking down to the audience, forced humor, cringey writing, and a too-lighthearted tone for the show's subject matter. However, we still get decent episodes occasionally, and I noticed that one 2019 episode-which also happens to be one of the Season 6 episodes!-stands above the others... 'Deer Buckaroo'! (''Season 6, premiered April 17, 2019) I admit, I have only watched this episode once so far, since it is so new. Nevertheless, I can say that this is my favorite new episode of this year so far. Unlike most other Season 5/6 episodes, Deer Buckaroo doesn't careen off course to make pointless, unfunny jokes or insert sudden slapstick at the expense of the plotline; here, the storyline is focused and coherent. We get a sweet story about Chris and Martin reuniting with an old friend, while learning a few things along the way. I like how the episode goes out of its way to let its audience know not to "rescue" every wild animal that appears to need rescuing. This is a real problem-both with fawns and with fledgling birds, among other animals. I think it is very thoughtful and responsible of the Kratt brothers to include such caveats in a show with a recurring theme of "creature rescues", so as not to give children the wrong ideas about interactions with wildlife. It's kinda like the disclaimer in front of Rattlesnake Crystal-wise of the show to include. I hope more of the Season 6 episodes follow the pattern of this one. 2019 honorable mentions: As with 2018, I couldn't single out any candidates. That's all, folks! I hope you enjoy this list and leave a comment about your own opinions regarding the best Wild Kratts episodes! Don't be shy! As Martin and Chris say-keep on creature adventuring! Category:Blog posts